Why Bloomberg fantasy won't come true

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg can become the next president of the United States.

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I know this, because the Constitution tells me so. Bloomberg is a "natural born Citizen," has "attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

But after that, I think his campaign is in trouble.

We do not know if Bloomberg actually will run for president in 2008 -- he has repeatedly said he will not -- but the possibility of his doing so has attracted an inordinate amount of attention.

I once worked for Bloomberg News, which is owned by Bloomberg, and had one off-the-record group dinner with him. He was funny, charming, bright and personable. But I think he might need a little bit more than that in order to become president.

Like a reason for people to vote for him. And a way of winning.

Bloomberg would have to win the presidency on his own merits. His chief merit, his chief selling point, would be his competence. He can get things done around the nation, he will tell voters, as he has gotten things done in New York.

Which is also Rudy Giuliani's chief selling point.

And, now that you mention it, Hillary Clinton also stresses competence and experience, as does John McCain, as does Mitt Romney, as do several other candidates.

Nor, outside of New York City, is Bloomberg the household name you might think he is. A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted last week showed that 35 percent of registered voters nationwide had never heard of him. Only 23 percent had a favorable view, while 14 percent had an unfavorable view and 27 percent were unsure.

Those figures aren't awful, but they don't show a nation panting for Bloomberg's entry into an already crowded field.

So how does he win? Money, his supporters say. He's got oodles of money, maybe around $5 billion or so. And he could spend a billion dollars of his own money on a presidential race.

First, when voters give you money, they often protect their investment by voting for you. When you finance your own campaign, you don't build that base of support.

The second problem is not pleasant to talk about. So let us begin by quoting Bloomberg, who has asked: "How can a 5-foot-7, divorced, billionaire Jew running as an independent from New York possibly have a chance?"

The divorce thing is no real barrier, and the height thing I will deal with later. It is the "billionaire Jew" thing that might come into play if he tries to self-finance the race, as in "Does that Jew really think he can buy the American presidency?"

Don't think that will come up? No? What country are you living in?

I do not suggest anti-Semitism should keep Bloomberg from running for president. I do suggest that as with Romney's religion, Barack Obama's race and Hillary Rodham Clinton's gender, Bloomberg's religion (in a nation that has never elected a Jew to the presidency) is a mountain for him to climb.